Web dispenser



y 1959 s. H. STELL was DISPENSER Filed on. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. 650265 H. fins-41..

United States Patent v 2,893,616 WEB DISPENSER George H. Stell, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Precision Metal Workers, Chicago, 11].

Application October 25, 1957, Serial No. 692,349

3 Claims. (Cl. 225--52) This invention relates to a web dispenser. It is particularly designed for dispensing aluminum foil or the like but may also be used to dispense paper towelling, wax paper and other products.

The dispenser comprises a tray or box portion adapted to be mounted on a wall, if desired, and has a cover portion pivoted to the box portion and with a tear-off jaw normally spaced forwardly of the box wall and movable in a downward and inward direction to and from the front wall of the box portion when the cover is moved pivotally with respect to the box portion. A light spring or springs support the cover portion with the jaw in its normally spaced position leaving a wide dispensing slot.

When a required length of material is withdrawn, downward pressure on the cover portion to effect pivotal movement thereof will force the serrated margin of its jaws into contact with the web to engage the web clampingly against the front wall of the box portion of the device, thus preventing web movement during tear-oflf. When the cover springs back to its normal position, the upward component of jaw movement leaves the free end of the web exposed where it can readily be grasped.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a dispenser embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective showing the cover raised to receive a roll of the web to be dispensed.

Fig. 3 is a view of the dispenser in transverse section.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the jaw depressed to clamp the work preliminary to tear-off.

The box or tray is generically designated by reference character 5 having a bottom 6, rear wall 7 and lower front wall 8, and end walls 9 and 10. Extending rearwardly at an upward angle from the front wall 8 is a guide flange 11 against which is engaged the surface of the web 12 wound on core 13, the flange supporting the web as it leaves the roll and acting somewhat like the doctor plate of a paper machine in assuring that the web will be delivered from the roll without adhesion.

The cover generically designated by reference character 15 'has end walls 16 and 17 and a front wall 18, the lower margin 20 of which acts as a web clamp jaw and tear-off knife and is desirably toothed, although this is not essential. Pivot pins or rivets 21 connect the end walls 16 and 17 of the cover to the corresponding end walls 9 and of the box or tray. The dimensions of the top wall 23 of the cover are such that when the top Wall is in its normal substantially horizontal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the front wall 18 of the cover will be spaced well in advance of the front wall 8 of the box or tray, leaving a wide channel or slot within which the free end of the web may readily be grasped and through which the web may readily be withdrawn from the roll stored in the box or tray. From this normal generally horizontal position, the cover may be raised about its pivotal connection with the tray as shown in Fig. 2, thus permitting the introduction of the roll of Web material into the box or tray. Notches 29 in the top of the cover provide clearance for the end walls 9 and 10 ofthe box when the cover is raised.

One or more light torsion springs 25 may have their coils engaged upon the respective rivets 21 as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. Free end portions 26, 27 of the springs engage respectively the top wall 23 of the cover and the rear wall 7 of the box or tray, the springs having adequate bias to support the cover 15 in the normal position in which it is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. I

When a desired length of web is withdrawn through the dispensing slot between the front wall 18 of the cover and the front wall 8 of the tray, the operator will press downwardly upon the cover to pivot the cover downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the serrated clamping jaw and tear-off knife portion 20 of the cover engages the web to hold it firmly against the front wall 8 of the tray, which acts as a fixed clamp jaw, thus securely fixing the web while the free end portion is torn off across the lower edge or jaw portion 20 of the front cover wall 18. The spring should not be stronger than needed to support the cover in its normal horizontal position, so that nearly all downward pressure exerted on the cover is effective for web clamping purposes.

The tear-off will occur well below normal jaw level. Consequently, the spring-biased retractive movement of the jaw upwardly and outwardly from the web clamping position will expose the free end of the web to leave it freely accessible for further withdrawals, at the same time opening the dispensing slot widely to facilitate web movement.

The tray may be hung on a wall or positioned on a table or wherever it is convenient for use. In preferred practice, one or more keyhole slots may be provided as at 28 to receive mounting screws or nails, on which the tray can readily be mounted by registering the larger portion of each slot with the head of its mounting screw or nail.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dispenser comprising the combination with a tray for supporting a rolled web and having a front wall constituting a relatively fixed web clamping jaw, a cover in pivotal connection with the tray and extending outwardly across the front wall and provided with a depending tear-oif flange constituting a movable clamping jaw engageable with the front wall of the tray when subjected to force efiective pivotal movement of the cover downwardly upon its pivotal connection with the tray, and resilient supporting means providing bias for yieldably holding the cover normally in a raised position with respect to the tray, in which position the depending jaw flange of the cover is spaced outwardly from the relatively fixed jaw provided by the front wall of the tray to provide a dispensing slot through which a web may be withdrawn from a roll supported within the tray beneath the cover, the edge of the tear-off flange of the cover being adapted to clamp a portion of said web when the cover is depressed against the bias of said resilient supporting means to engage said web portion against the front wall of the tray, whereby said clamped portion will be retained while the portion of the web projecting be yond the flange can be severed along the flange, retractive cover jaw movement in an upward direction from the position of web engagement being adapted to expose the end of the web.

2. A dispenser comprising the combination with a tray having rear, end, bottom and front walls, the front wall of the tray constituting a relatively fixed clamping jaw and the tray providing means for supporting and housing a roll of web material to be dispensed over the said front wall clamping jaw, of a cover having top and end and front walls, the end walls of the cover being in pivotal connection with end walls of the tray and the forward extent of the top wall being sufficiently in excess of the forward extent of the bottom wall of the tray so that the front wall of the cover normally lies ahead of the front wall of the tray and in spaced relation from said front wall, the front wall of the cover being mar ginally engageable with the front wall of the tray upon movement of the cover upon its said pivotal connection downwardly from a normal substantially horizontal cover position, the means for yieldably supporting the cover in said normal substantially horizontal position to facilitate withdrawing between the front walls of the cover and tray a length of Web to be dispensed from a roll within the tray, downward movement of the cover under pressure of the operators hand upon its pivotal connection with the tray thereupon causing the lower margin of the cover front wall to clamp against the front wall of the tray a portion of web dispensed thereover, the bottom margin of the front wall of the cover serving as a tearoff guide across which portions of such web projecting beyond those so clamped may be torn free of clamped portions.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the cover is pivoted ahead of the tray rear wall and is slotted to receive the tray and walls and is freely movable upwardly from its said normally horizontal position to facilitate the intro duction of a roll of web material into the tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,991,812 Marcalus Feb. 19, 1935 2,253,744 Witt Aug. 26, 1941 2,314,849 Sullivan et al Mar. 23, 1943 2,319,071 Mason May 11, 1943 2,580,684 Lacy et a1. Jan. 1, 1952 

